Abstract
BackgroundThree species of feline haemoplasma are recognised: Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’ (CMhm) and ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis (CMt). This study compared a reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) assay for simultaneous detection of Mhf, CMhm with three separate quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays used for diagnosis of Mhf, CMhm and CMt. The RLB and qPCR assays were applied to DNA extracted from blood samples collected from 154 cats from Trinidad and Tobago.ResultsCMhm and Mhf DNA were detected using both RLB and qPCR. CMt DNA was detected by qPCR only. Comparing RLB and qPCR for the detection of CMhm DNA, 40 (26.3%) and 48 (31.6%) cats, respectively, were positive. The difference was more marked for Mhf, with RLB detecting a total of only 11 (7.2%) positive cats whereas qPCR detected 41 (27.0%) positive cats. Using qPCR as a gold standard, haemoplasma infected cats were more likely to be retrovirus positive (OR = 5.68, P = 0.02) and older (median age 5.5 years), than non-infected cats. In addition, CMhm positive cats were more likely to be male (OR = 3.4, P = 0.04).ConclusionsOverall the qPCR was more sensitive than RLB. In addition, age (median 5.5 years) and retrovirus positivity were risk factors for infection with the feline haemoplasmas in this study population. Further studies on feline haemoplasma infections in cats are needed to determine the significance of detecting small amounts of haemoplasma DNA, feline retrovirus infection and other associated risk factors on the clinical manifestation of disease.
Highlights
Three species of feline haemoplasma are recognised: Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’ (CMhm) and ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis (CMt)
Sample collection, processing & DNA extraction EDTA blood samples from cats included in this study were obtained from the following sources (i) Samples submitted to the Clinical Pathology Laboratory at the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Trinidad (ii) Trinidad and Tobago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA) samples obtained when cats were euthanized or undergoing neutering for adoption purposes (iii) and a group termed ‘other’ which were from cats whose owners voluntarily presented their pets for the study
For CMhm, 40 (26.3%) and 48 (31.6%) cats were positive by reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) and quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) respectively
Summary
Three species of feline haemoplasma are recognised: Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’ (CMhm) and ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis (CMt). Feline infectious anaemia is caused by haemotropic bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma. These agents, formerly named Haemobartonella spp, are reclassified to the genus Mycoplasma based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences [1]. They have been given the trivial name of haemoplasmas [1]. Three species of feline haemoplasmas are recognised: ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’ (CMhm), Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf) and ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis (CMt). Infection with CMt in experimental cats has resulted in variable pathogenicity [9,10], and its pathogenic potential probably depends on several agent cofactors [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
